Embassy HEADLINES Issue 364
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
Let’s Talk About Home Grow [United in Compassion]
Legalise Drugs to Reduce Violent Crime: An Interview With LEAP’s Greg Denham [Sydney Criminal Lawyers]
As the 2015-16 NSW Crime Commission Annual Report points out, while “commendable law enforcement efforts” nationwide have led to “larger seizures and more arrests”, these have “little, if any, effect on the quantities of prohibited drugs available”.
UIC Launches Re-vamped Website, Calls on Cannabis Industry to Work Closer With Patients & Advocates [United in Compassion]
Peak medicinal cannabis advocacy body United in Compassion has today launched a re-vamped and more up-to-date website in a drive to be as clear as it can about its work, areas of focus as well as its positions and policies. A useful and in-depth patient guide for new and prospective users of medicinal cannabis will also be available for download along with presentations from the UIC 2019 Symposium.
NZ Government not proposing THC limit for medicinal cannabis products [Stuff]
The NZ Government does not plan to set limits on the amount of THC – the main psychoactive ingredient – in medicinal cannabis products. The move is part of the proposed regulations and standards for medicinal cannabis – covering everything from cultivation to quality standards – released by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday.
Medicinal cannabis expert calls on New Zealand doctors to upskill [Stuff]
Professor Mike Barnes, neurologist and director of education for The Academy of Medical Cannabis in London, will visit New Zealand later this month to host three medicinal cannabis “masterclasses” – training events for healthcare professionals.
Taylors of Winmalee urge Blue Mountains residents support High as Mike at Mt Vic Flicks [Blue Mountains Gazette]
A Winmalee family is urging Blue Mountains residents to get behind the fan screening of High as Mike (Medical Cannabis: Natural. Healing. Criminalised).
“Legalise and License the Supply of Drugs”: An Interview With Chris Daw QC [Sydney Criminal Lawyers]
Criminal defence barrister Chris Daw QC is an outspoken advocate of drug legalisation.
There’s only one way to tackle drugs to make Australia safer [The Sydney Morning Herald]
When radio broadcaster Alan Jones agrees with the NSW Bar Association and Uniting Church, backers of the successful King’s Cross medically supervised injecting centre, to decriminalise the personal use of all drugs including ice, it’s clear that the prohibition mantra is being challenged like never before.
Mental Health, Medicinal Cannabis and Nutritional Medicine [Global Health Initiative]
When: 20th and 21st July 2019
Location: Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
The program explores the endocannabinoid system, medicinal cannabis, delivery methods, pharmacokinetics/dynamics, safety and its evidence base in treating a variety of mental health conditions, plus other nutritional medicine approaches to moods and mental health. The conference features Dr Sue Sisley MD, US medicinal cannabis expert, and a host of other top speakers.
Is Medical Cannabis Legal in Australia [YouTube]
Mushroom Day, Melbourne [Australian Psychedelic Society]
NORTH AMERICA
Lance Gloor: Federal Inmate #44270-086 Needs Your Help [Weed News]
Lance does not deserve any of the punishment he is receiving. He is being punished for being a successful farmer and store owner in a time when medical cannabis was the law of the land while being 100 percent compliant to the States requirements.
Amendment That Protects Veterans Working In The Cannabis Industry Approved by U.S. House [Medical Marijuana Inc]
Rep. Katherine Clark’s amendment to prohibit veterans from being denied home loans because of their work in the cannabis industry will now go on to the Senate for approval.
Pennsylvania’s UScienses Now Offering Medical Cannabis MBA [Ganjapreneur]
The nation’s first Master of Business Administration degree for medical cannabis is available now via the University of Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Sad Reason Marijuana Research Hasn’t Exploded In Canada [The Fresh Toast]
CTV News reports that Canadian scientists are currently mired in a Borgesian complex of pending bureaucratic approval and applications. Academics must first attain a research license in Canada prior to starting research, but only 65 new licenses successfully made it through the system since Canada legalized marijuana Oct. 17.
Cannabis Café Approved Unanimously by West Hollywood Officials [Ganjapreneur]
A proposed cannabis café in West Hollywood received unanimous approval from city officials; the cafe will allow for on-site cannabis use, including smoking.
“Hemp For Victory Act” Would Take U.S. Hemp Research To Next Level [Medical Marijuana Inc]
United States Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), a 2020 presidential candidate, has introduced a bill calling for a wide-ranging federal study on hemp.
BUSINESS & POLICY
Presidential Candidate Unveils Major Marijuana Reform Plan [Medical Marijuana Inc]
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, IN, has released a plan to legalize marijuana at the federal level and cut the United States prison population in half.
Does Legalization Fuel the Black Market? [The Marijuana Times]
A recent PBS story attempts to paint the picture that cannabis legalization actually adds fuel to the fire that is the illegal cannabis market by allowing illegal grows to flourish, camouflaged by the legality that surrounds them.
Recreational cannabis legalization could impact alcohol industry, research shows [News Medical]
The recent wave of recreational cannabis legalization across the U.S. could generate $22 billion in sales per year, but not everyone is happy about it. New research to be published in an upcoming edition of the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, titled, “Asymmetric Effects of Recreational Cannabis Legalization,” shows the alcohol industry could be impacted when the substance is legalized.
Make cannabis legal and cut crime, says Adam Smith think tank [Evening Standard]
A leading think tank today called for cannabis to be sold over the counter in pharmacies — and said legalisation for adult recreational use is a matter of “when, not if”.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
Cannabis-Based Medicine: A Breakthrough For Healing Intractable Chronic Wounds [Forbes]
While notoriously difficult to heal, a new, experimental cannabinoid-based treatment promises to vastly improve the prognosis for the millions of older adults who suffer from chronic wounds.
Study finds that treatment for cannabis use disorder is… cannabis [The Growth Op]
The results are “pretty significant,” notes lead author Dr. Nicholas Lintzeris, a professor at the University of Sydney.
That Alarming CBD Liver Damage Study Is Bunk—And the Media Should Know Better [Leafly]
It’s 2019 and we still live in a world where one small study, on mice, with a highly questionable methodology, published in a marginal journal, with major flaws, leads to a clickbait media panic.
Study: Hemp Could Help Prevent Bee Die-Off [Ganjapreneur]
Researchers from the Colorado State University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences believe that the proliferation of industrial hemp flowers could benefit pollinators, specifically the declining bee population.
Marijuana use may not make parents more ‘chill’ [Science Daily]
Sorry, marijuana moms and dads: Using pot may not make you a more relaxed parent, at least when it comes to how you discipline your children. A study of California parents found that current marijuana users administered more discipline techniques of all kinds to their children on average than did non-users. That includes everything from timeouts to, in some cases, physical abuse.
New research indicates that cannabinoids could be efficacious pain management options [PsyPost]
Cannabis and similar substances that interact with the body’s natural cannabinoid receptors could be viable candidates for pain management and treatment, according to new research published in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Biomedical scientist to study how body’s cannabis-like molecules influence obesity [EurekAlert!]
The School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside, has received a five-year grant of more than $1.7 million to identify novel gut-brain endocannabinoid signaling pathways that control feeding behavior and become impaired in obesity.
Researchers study cannabis dosage to reduce seizures in children with severe epilepsy [News Medical]
The study tested the effects of medicinal cannabis oil with 95 per cent CBD, a chemical which does not create a high, and 5 percent THC, a substance which can be intoxicating in large enough doses. Studying an evidence-based scientifically guided dosage regimen, the research team found no evidence of THC intoxication when using CBD-enriched whole plant extracts.
EVENTS
Pill testing & Roadside Drug Testing [Australian Council of Civil Liberties]
Tue., 30 July 2019 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
All Saints Conference Centre, 330 Ann Street, Brisbane City, QLD 4000
Join us for a relevant and insightful panel discussion with Mick Palmer(former AFP Commissioner) and Dr Alex Wodak (former Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service). The panel will cover Roadside Drug Testing and Pill Testing and will be followed with light refreshments.
FUNDRAISERS/CAMPAIGNS/PETITIONS/SURVEYS
Inquiry into drug driving reform [Enpsychedelia]
The National Drug Driving Working Group clearly states that drug driving laws are specifically a driving offense and not a drug offense. Despite this, people who are not impaired, but may still have trace amounts of one of three prescribed substances in their bodily fluid, are frequently charged with a road offense. There is a significant economic and social burden from these unjustified infringements.
E-Petition: Inquiry into drug driving reform [Parliament of Victoria]
Gateway to Good Health [Weed Billboards]
Celebrating Cannabis [Australian Cannabis Awards]
E-Petition: Legalise cannabis for recreational use [Parliament of Victoria]
Just Reform It! Let’s Get Real about Drugs [The Greens]
Survey: What’s the link between cannabis use and psychotic experiences? [The University of Queensland]
EDUCATION
MardiGrass Hemposium 2019 Talks now Available on YouTube [Hemp Embassy]
EP202 – Roadside Drug Testing Panel at Nimbin Mardi Grass [Enpsychedelia]
‘Sex, Drugs and the Electoral Roll’: MP’s Memoir Goes On Sale [Reason]
Medicinal Cannabis & Hemp Tasmania & “the leaf” Newsletter [Facebook]
Nimbin Medican Workshops on YouTube [Hemp Embassy]
DRUG WAR OVER! [Radio Documentary]
View five new EGA video presentations on ethnobotanical plants and psychedelics [Entheogenesis Australis]
To mark the anniversary of our special gathering and end the year on a high note, we’ve released five new videos of talks from the Psychedelic Symposium that are now available to watch online and can also be found below in this email.